Queenan, Polaha Join Pride Pro Basketball

May 25, 1988|by JOHN JAY FOX, The Morning Call

Daren Queenan, Lehigh's all-time leading scorer, who on Sunday was placed on the taxi squad of the United States Basketball League's Philadelphia Aces, will join the Youngstown Pride of World Basketball League, a circuit designed for players 6-4 and under.

Queenan will be joined by teammate Michael Polaha. The pair fly to Youngstown tomorrow.

"I can definitely play in that league. I have a lot ofconfidence in my abilities," Polaha said. "But when you reach the pro level, things can get involved. Sometimes it is not a matter of what you know, but who you know.

"Coming from a small college will not help," Polaha said. "And, you only get two days to show what you can do. Still, I am confident that I can make it," he said.

Queenan, who closed his Lehigh career with 2,703 points and ranks 12th on the all-time NCAA scoring list, was the Pride's No. 1 pick and the sixth WBL player selected overall. Polaha, Lehigh's No. 2 scorers of all-time, will try out as a free agent.

Polaha has a better than average chance of making the Ohio club. Pride coach Mike Rice, who saw the pair during the ECC tournament while serving as a color analyst for ESPN, professed a genuine interested in the 6-3, 170-pound Central Catholic product.

Sources at Lehigh said Queenan has been offer a "good" contract with the Pride.

Ironically, Queenan was replaced on the Aces' roster by former LaSalle standout Michael Brooks. The Lehigh forward broke most of Brooks' East Coast Conference records and passed the 6-7 forward as the league's all-time scorer.

Queenan, who hoped to work on his ball-handling abilities as a guard, was frustrated with the Aces. The Norristown product hopes to catch on as an off- guard in the NBA, but saw very little backcourt action, playing behind ex- Houston Rocket Lewis Lloyd, Temple's Howard Evans, Villanova's Mark Plansky, Drexel's Michael Anderson and LaSalle grads Tim Legler and Stevie Black.

When Queenan made his USBL debut, he became the first Lehigh player to play professionally in the United States. Mark Vandemark, a 1,000-point scorer and 1980 grad, played pro basketball in Spain and South America.